James, Lily, Harry
by MyMelo
Summary: Sequel to 9 Months, 333 Days, 7992 Hours, and follows James and Lily adjusting to life with baby Harry. Chapter 12: For Harry or James
1. Welcome Home

**Disclaimer**: The Usual

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**Welcome Home**

Lily was being discharged from St. Mungo's today, and she was finally going to be going home with little Harry. James was very excited; he could finally be with his two favourite people in the whole world. He hadn't liked Harry being in a room with all the other little babies, only being allowed to come out when he needed feeding, but rules were rules, and James wasn't a rule breaker anymore.

"Hey Lils! Hey Harry! It's time to go home!" said James in excitement as he picked up his wife and son from St. Mungo's. "Wait until you see your room Harry, your mother and I spent a lot of time working on it."

"James, slow down." Said Lily with a laugh. "I know you're happy to see us, but I am not running all the way back to our house. Where did you park the car?"

James, who had been doing a slight skip in his excitement, slowed down obligingly and held his arms out to hold Harry. "Fine, but can I hold Harry then?"

Lily handed Harry to James as they walked towards their car. They weren't going to apparate, because Lily was too protective of Harry and didn't want anything to happen to him. _Not that anything was likely to happen,_ thought James. But he wasn't going to argue with Lily; he didn't know how long it would be until her hormones returned to their normal level.

--

Upon arriving at their cottage in Godric's Hollow, James bounded out of the car, grabbed Harry in one hand and Lily's things in the other, and basically ran inside, with Lily following behind, chuckling at her husband's behaviour. Once inside the cottage, Lily felt a wave of calm wash over her. She'd only been away from the house for a few days, yet it seemed like forever, and she was just glad to be back in familiar surroundings.

It felt great to be home again.

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**A/N:** Merry Christmas everyone! I was going to post a Lily/James Christmas one, but I couldn't think up any good ideas for one, so I decided the sequel to my other fic, 9 Months 333 Days 7992 Hours would be a good enough substitute yeh? I know this is a really short chapter, but please let me know what you think!

Thanks to **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me!


	2. Sleepless Nights

**Disclaimer**: The Usual

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**Sleepless Nights**

Lily and James had always known that it was going to be hard work being a parent, but they never imagined it to be this bad. Harry required feeding every few hours, and his nappy needed changing constantly. But most of all, James and Lily found themselves constantly having to calm down a crying Harry. Because Harry couldn't talk yet, Lily and James had no idea _why _Harry seemed to be crying all the time, especially in the early hours of the morning. Sleep, it seemed, was becoming more and more distant for the two.

It had been another very long day for the new parents, especially for Lily, whose body was still adjusting to not having a baby inside, as well as having to feed Harry every so often. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep almost instantly.

James looked affectionately at Lily. He was exhausted from just having to get up in the middle of the night to soothe a crying Harry, and that was not even half of what Lily had to do! The poor girl, the least James could do was let her have a good night's sleep, yet Harry seemed to be wanting his mother _all the time_. Sure, James could soothe his cries, but Lily could make Harry's cries disappear just by holding him, which James had to admit he was a little jealous of. But no matter, James was confident Harry would grow up to love his daddy just as much as he loved his mummy, and perhaps even more!

Just as James was about to climb into bed, Harry's cries came from the room next door. Lily's eyes opened widely, and she was about to sit up when James gently pushed her back down.

"No, it's okay, I'll go."

"Are you sure? It might be faster if I go…"

"Yes I'm sure, now go back to bed."

"You're sure-"

"Yes, Lily, I can handle this. Give me some credit, won't you." Said James with a chuckle. Honestly, did Lily really think he wasn't capable of calming Harry down? Quickly, he made his way to Harry's room and picked Harry up from inside the crib.

"Hey little fella, what's wrong?" asked James, pulling Harry close to him. Upon seeing his father, Harry's sobs had lessened considerably, but there was still the occasional hiccup.

"Shh, daddy's here, you can sleep now." Said James in a soothing voice. Harry had just been fed, and there wasn't any particular smells coming from his nappy, so he had no idea why Harry was crying. Perhaps he just missed his parents. James certainly felt that not seeing Harry for over five minutes made him miss him too. Gently rocking Harry, James marvelled at just how much Harry looked like him. Apart from Lily's gorgeous emerald eyes, Harry looked exactly like James had when he was a baby. Which meant that he was going to grow up just as handsome as James, or maybe even more handsome, with those eyes of his! James grinned to himself. Harry was probably going to break many hearts when he went to Hogwarts.

When Harry had finally dozed off, James gently placed him back inside the crib, already missing the warmth from his little body. "Sweet dreams, Harry." He said to his son softly, as he kissed him on the forehead. Quietly, he walked out of the room and shut the door gently as not to wake Harry up again.

James read the time on his watch, _1:05_. Stretching, he climbed into bed and hoped he could get at least an hour of sleep before Harry woke up again. Lily snuggled up to him, a small smile on her face.

"Thanks, James."

"Lils, you don't need to thank me. I don't do half of what you have to do. And I get to spend bonding with my baby son, so it's all good." James replied, giving Lily a kiss goodnight.

--

When Harry's cries woke James from his sleep, he looked at his watch. _1:20_. James sighed. This was going to be a very long night indeed.

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**A/N: **Happy Boxing Day to those who celebrate it! Or is this just an Australian thing? A big thank you also to **tasha27** for beta-ing!


	3. Changing Nappies

**Disclaimer:** The Usual

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**Changing Nappies**

Despite the sleepless nights that Lily and James were experiencing, life with the addition of a new family member was better than they had ever imagined it to be. Harry brought about much more laughter into the household, and every one of his actions was of fascination and delight to the proud new parents. Well, almost all the actions.

The nappy changing of course, was one exception.

James watched Lily as she deftly changed Harry's nappy, impressed with the swift movements; it was as if she had been doing this for months, not days. Where had she learnt how to change a nappy anyway? It wasn't like they had any dolls in the house that she could practice on since they knew they were expecting a baby boy.

--

On one warm, autumn's day, James woke from a nap to again hear Harry wailing loudly. Rushing into Harry's room, James picked up his baby son to find a rather unpleasant odour emerging. "Come on, little fella. Let's go find your mummy and get you out of that nasty nappy."

James walked into the kitchen, expecting to find Lily preparing dinner, and instead finding it deserted. It was then that James remembered Lily saying she was going to buy some groceries for dinner; it looked like he would have to change Harry's nappy all by himself. _It couldn't be too hard_, thought James, having watched Lily change Harry's nappy every few hours; _just take it off and put the new one in! _

Boy was he wrong.

Firstly, James racked his brain to recall what Lily needed everytime she changed Harry's nappy. Clean nappy, bin, baby wipes, and warm water. That seemed to be about it. Taking a deep breath, James unwrapped the nappy, scrunching his nose at the smell. Gingerly, he held Harry's legs up by the ankles so that he could clean his bottom with the baby wipes, careful to wipe away everything. Placing Harry's legs down again, James proceeded to fold up the used nappy and dispose of it in the bin. It was harder than it seemed. Picking the nappy up, James was about to throw it in the bin when he realised he hadn't folded the nappy properly, and some of Harry's poo fell on the floor. Panicking, James looked at the mess on the ground in horror, wondering what to do. Lily was going to kill him if he didn't clean up the mess.

It was then that James spotted his wand. Of course! A simple vanishing spell would do the trick! James couldn't believe he forgot he was a wizard in such a time of crisis; luckily no one was in the house, otherwise he probably would've been made fun of for the next few weeks, or even months, if Padfoot was around…

Muttering a quick _evanesco_ to the mess on the ground, James resumed the task of changing Harry's nappy. Just as he was about to place the new nappy on Harry, James felt a sudden warmth on his hands. Looking down, he saw that it was Harry, who had decided that it was the perfect time to go to the toilet, right on James' hands. "Whoa! Bad Harry! No peeing on daddy; that's what you have a nappy for, okay?" said James, who didn't know whether he should laugh or not. Harry just looked at James and gurgled at him happily, waving his arms around in the air.

"I'm home!" said Lily. "James? Harry?"

"We're in Harry's room." Said James in relief. "I'm just changing his nappy."

Lily rushed in as fast as she could. "Oh, James! Do you know how to do this? And why do you smell like pee?" asked Lily.

"Harry peed on my hands." Said James with a chuckle. "Maybe you should finish up here, and I'll go wash my hands.

"No, wait. You should watch how I change his nappy so you can do it properly next time. Can't you just use a cleaning spell on your hands anyway?"

"Yes, but I don't want my _wand_ to smell as well, do I?" said James.

Lily giggled. "No, I suppose not. I'll do it for you then. _Scourify_."

"Thanks."

"So this is how you do it. First you take his dirty nappy off, wrap it up _properly_ and put it in the bin. Then you wipe his bottom so that it's clean before you put the new nappy on. The top half of the nappy goes under his bottom, and the bottom half comes up between his legs. And try not to bunch the nappy between his legs, it'll be uncomfortable for Harry and he'll probably start to cry, so you'll know. And when you tape the sides, make sure it's not too tight, that will pinch his skin."

"Okay. Now how am I going to remember all that?" Asked James looking a little worried.

"There's instructions on the packaging, didn't you see?" said Lily looking amused.

"I-instructions?" said James baffled.

"Yes honey, there are instructions, how do you think I learnt all of this? By practicing on a toy?"

James was slightly annoyed with himself. And here he had been, trying to remember exactly how Lily had changed Harry's nappy, when there were instructions right in front of him. Really! Before he did anything now, James was going to make sure he always looked out for instructions to follow.

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**A/N:** Thanks to **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me! Hope everyone is having a good holiday ^^


	4. Favourites

**Disclaimer:** The Usual

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**Favourites**

Although tending to Harry was very hard work, Lily and James couldn't help but marvel at his every movement. They didn't know that it was possible to have so much joy at having a baby. Lily would squeal in delight everytime Harry moved, and snap away furiously on her camera. A stretch of his tiny body, a toothless yawn, or a frown that sometimes turned into a cry. But what Lily loved the most was seeing Harry smile and hearing him laugh. Upon hearing the happy gurgle of Harry, Lily would find herself smiling too, no matter if she was in a good mood or a bad mood.

James couldn't believe how small Harry was. He'd never had any experience with babies before, being the only child in his family, and having aunts and uncles that were about as nice as Padfoot's mother. Sometimes, James would just sit on the couch and watch Harry, taking in his every action and expression. Harry's hand was so small that James could only fit his pinkie into Harry's palm; his own palm was just a bit smaller than Harry's whole face.

Harry would often cry, not because he was hungry or his nappy needed changing, but as Lily and James had concluded, just so he could be held. It seemed, however, that Harry had preferences, when it came to being held by his parents. When Lily held him, his sobs would quieten down instantly. James on the other hand…

_WAHHHHHHHH_

Both Lily and James looked up from what they were doing, and rushed to Harry's room. James picked Harry up from his cot; they had just fed him, so it couldn't be that he was hungry, and he didn't smell anything unpleasant, so it shouldn't be his nappy that needed changing.

"Shh, what's wrong, Harry?" said James in a soothing voice as he rocked Harry back and forth.

Harry only looked at James and continued crying. James looked a little alarmed, and decided that some singing might cheer his baby son up.

_"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts,  
Teach us something please…"_

Harry's cries quietened slightly, but then worsened again. "Harry! Don't you like your future school's song?" James asked.

_"Whether we be old and bald,  
Or young with scabby knees…"_

This time, Harry's wails only grew louder and louder. Lily rushed back into Harry's room, startled to find her son crying loudly and her husband looking utterly terrified. Smiling slightly, she held her arms out for Harry, and James gave him to her, looking grateful. Whether it was Lily or Harry, James just couldn't deal with tears.

Lily rocked Harry back and forth gently, just as James had done and all the time singing softly to him. As soon as Harry was in Lily's arms, his sobs stopped gradually, leaving James looking slightly disgruntled.

"Why is it," asked James, "That you can make Harry stop crying just by holding him, and I can't even stop his cries by singing? Is my voice really that bad? He likes you better than me! Silly Harry, you're not supposed to have a favourite parent." Said James looking at Harry, slightly annoyed.

"No James, your singing isn't bad," said Lily, the corner of her mouth twitching as she fought back a smile. "Harry loves both of us equally, I'm sure. It's just because he and I spent have spent nine more months together than you and him have; so of course he knows me better. He recognises the smell of mummy, see?"

James pouted. "But still. What do you sing to him anyway?"

"Nursery rhymes, of course." Lily replied. "You know, those muggle songs all the children know."

"Like Lily had a little lamb?" asked James.

Lily giggled. "It's Mary, James. Mary had a little lamb. Not _me_."

James shrugged. "It's all the same, Mary, Lily; they both have two syllables and fit the song anyway."

Lily gave James a look. "You know, maybe I need to teach you these nursery rhymes as well."

James looked surprised. "But I _do_ know them! Baa Baa Black sheep, Jack and Jess went up the hill, Eeney Miney Spider, London Bridge is falling down…"

"Yes James, but _properly_. See, you don't even know the names properly! You don't want Harry to grown up not knowing these nursery rhymes, do you?" Lily asked.

"No, I guess not." James sighed defeated. "You can teach me the nursery rhymes and we can sing them to Harry together."

And so it became a regular sight in the Potter household to see Lily singing nursery rhymes to Harry, whilst James listened intently, nodding along in concentration.

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**A/N:** Thanks so much to **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me!


	5. Wash

**Disclaimer:** The Usual

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**Wash**

After the rather embarrassing attempt at nappy changing, James felt like he was now ready for the next big task as a father- washing.

And what better then to do it when Padfoot was here? That way, they could wash Harry together and not look too stupid if they didn't know what they were doing. Two brains were surely better than the one.

"Hey Lils," James said. "Can Padfoot and I wash Harry today?"

Lily, who had been dozing off in an armchair, looked up at James sleepily and said, "Hmm? Sure, just be careful."

"Did she say yes?" asked Sirius, peering into the living room to see what was taking James so long. James nodded, and Sirius let out a little "Yippee" before bounding into Harry's room to take him to the bathroom. "Harry! Bath time with Prongsie and Padfoot!" he said excitedly, whilst filling the baby tub with lukewarm water, just as James had instructed. Babies had extremely sensitive skin, and water that was warm to adults could actually be too hot for them.

"Alright, do we have everything we need?" asked Sirius. "Shampoo, soap, towel… yes I think that's all, isn't it Prongsie?"

"Yeh, I think so," said James. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Okay, let's get him into the tub."

Gently, James placed Harry into the tub, making sure that he was supporting his neck. "Okay, where do we start then?" Sirius asked. "Uhh…" James wasn't actually sure, to be honest. "The face, maybe?" he replied hesitantly.

So whilst James held Harry, Sirius began to gently wash Harry's face with a washcloth. "Don't forget all the wrinkly bits," James added. "That's what Lily says all the time." Sirius grinned at James, "Prongs, do you actually know how to wash Harry, or are we going with let's see what happens if we do this?"

James grinned. "Which do you think? I'm still learning all this, after all! You can't expect _too_ much from me."

"I suppose not," said Sirius, now gently washing Harry's ears and his pudgy little chin, as well as the front of his body.

"Hey! My turn now!" said James. "Let me have a go with the back, you hold Harry now." Sirius looked a little disgruntled, but handed James the washcloth nonetheless, and took his place where James was to hold Harry. James placed one hand under Harry's arm, and made him lean forward slightly, letting his head rest on his arm.

"There!" said James with a flourish. "All done!"

"Uhh, Prongs? I think you forgot…" Sirius said.

"No, no, I haven't forgotten about his hair, that's always washed last." Said James, looking rather proud of himself for remembering.

"I meant his bottom." Said Sirius with a chuckle. "Honestly Prongs, you're not very good at this, are you?"

"I knew that, I was just testing you!" said James with a slight pout.

"Me?" said Sirius in surprise. "I don't even need to know this though, I'm not the one who is a dad!"

Gently, James lifted Harry's back slightly to wash his bottom, before dampening Harry's hair with the cloth to wash his hair. Grabbing the bottle of shampoo, he tipped it upside down, only to find that it was empty. James looked at Sirius in panic, did they have another bottle at home? Sirius searched the cabinets in the bathroom, but failed to find a shampoo bottle. "OH!" he said, smacking his forehead. I'll just summon it! Really Prongs, the more time I'm spending around you, the stupider I think I'm getting."

James looked a little insulted as Sirius managed to accio a new bottle of shampoo and pass it to him. He applied a small amount of the baby shampoo, lathering gently; Harry was still leaning on his arm.

"Okay Harry, now Padfoot is going to lift your head so I can rinse the front too," said James, who lifted Harry's head to find his eyes closed. Sirius panicked and said, "Prongs! Why are Harry's eyes closed? What happened?"

"Padfoot, I think he's just-" said James.

"Harry! What's wrong?" Sirius asked, holding Harry's shoulders and peering into his face.

Harry must've sensed that there was someone a little _too_ close to him, for he opened his emerald eyes, and found himself face to face with his godfather. Sirius blinked, and Harry suddenly began to wail loudly.

"Padfoot," James said sternly. "I was trying to tell you, Harry was just sleeping. Now you've woken him up!"

Sirius looked at Harry. "Oh."

James chuckled, "Now get that towel and lay it out so I can put Harry on it," he said as he lifted the crying Harry out of the tub, and placing him on the towel to dry. Remembering the nursery rhymes that Lily had been teaching him, James decided it was the perfect time to see whether singing really lessened Harry's cries.

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down…" he sang to Harry softly.

Sirius looked at James in bewilderment. "Prongs! What on earth are you singing? Why is London Bridge falling down?"

James laughed. "It's just a muggle nursery rhyme; Harry seems to like listening to them. Well at least when Lily sings them, at least." And sure enough, Harry's cries had softened to small sobs, as James dried him off and put his clothes back on. "Come on, let's go find mummy, shall we?" he asked Harry as Sirius began singing softly behind him, "London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down…"

Lily was still fast asleep in the armchair, and Harry began to wail again as soon as he saw Lily, no doubt wanting her to hold him. Sirius laughed. "Look Prongs! He likes Lilikins better than you!"

James gave Sirius a look and said, "He does not. He just happens to want Lily to hold him now, that's all."

Sirius shrugged, and began to sing softly again, "London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down…"

James held Harry out to Lily, who had woken up as soon as she had heard her son's cries. Rocking him gently, she sang to him softly as his cries died down almost instantly.

"Lilikins! I learnt a new song today!" said Sirius proudly.

Lily laughed. "Good on you, Sirius, what was it?"

Sirius cleared his throat. "London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down…"

James sighed. Thanks to his best friend, he now had that song stuck in his head. If he was lucky, it would remain stuck in there for the rest of the day. "Padfoot, stop singing! I've got that song stuck in my head!"

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down…"

"Padfoot," said James in a warning tone.

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down…"

"Padfoot!"

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**A/N:** Happy New Year everyone!! Thanks so much to **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me!


	6. Dog or Cat

**Disclaimer**: The Usual

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**Dog or Cat**

"Sirius is coming to visit today," James said to Lily as he came into the room, holding baby Harry, who was fast asleep.

"Really?" said Lily in excitement. She hadn't seen Sirius for awhile now; they weren't allowed many visitors, with what Dumbledore had heard in the prophecy. "It'll be good to see him, won't it, Mustard Seed?"

Mustard Seed was the small kitten that James had bought during Lily's pregnancy. She had been reading A Midsummer Night's Dream during that time and thought the name was cute, even though in the play, Mustard Seed was the 'ugly' fairy. James had wanted to name the kitten something else, like Emerald, (_really, he wasn't very creative, was he, _Lily thought). The name Mustard Seed had already stuck however, and there was nothing James could do to change that, no matter how much he wanted to. Mustard Seed? Honestly!

A small pop came from the kitchen, and Sirius came into the room with a brief nod of hello to James and Lily, and giving Harry a big smile. "Hey, Harry! How're you doing? Excited to see uncle Padfoot?" Harry waved his arms in Sirius' direction, gurgling away in his baby talk.

"Hello to you too, Sirius," said Lily with a laugh. Sirius didn't really pay them much attention anymore, not when Harry was around. "Mustard Seed, say hello to Sirius." The kitten gave Sirius a look, and turned her head away. Lily looked at the kitten in surprise. "That's weird! She's never done that before, has she, James?"

James shook his head. "Maybe Mustard Seed can sense…"

"Mustard Seed? Why'd you name her Mustard Seed?" said Sirius with a wrinkle of his nose. "That's not a very-" he broke off, seeing Lily's look of anger. "I mean, what… what a lovely name!" Sirius said hastily. Angry Lily was very scary; even worse than his mother.

"Hey Padfoot, why don't you show Harry what you look like in your animagus form?" James asked quickly, as Lily shot Sirius a murderous look.

"Good idea, Prongs!" said Sirius quickly, not wanting to face an angry Lily. With a flash, a great shaggy black dog was now standing where Sirius had been. Mustard Seed, who had been sitting in Lily's lap, gave a low hiss and jumped onto the floor and out of the room.

"Look Harry, it's your uncle Padfoot!" James said to Harry as he brought him down to eye level with the dog.

Sirius gave a bark of delight and looked expectantly at Harry, waiting for some kind of reaction. Harry turned his face away from Sirius and clung onto his father. "Aww, what's wrong Harry, don't you like dogs?" Lily asked as Harry's bottom lip began to tremble.

Sirius walked around so that he was again facing Harry and looked him in the eyes, hoping that Harry would see the familiarity in the dog's grey eyes. Harry looked back at Sirius, before letting out the biggest cry that Lily and James had ever heard.

"Okay, maybe he doesn't like dogs so much," Lily said as she took the crying Harry from James' arms. "Sirius, I think you should change back now." With another flash, Sirius was back in his human form, looking slightly disappointed that Harry hadn't warmed up to him instantly. He had already been imagining giving the small boy piggy back rides in his animagus form; somehow, that didn't seem very likely anymore.

Mustard Seed chose that moment to return to the room, where she jumped up onto the couch to where Lily and Harry were. "Hey! Is Harry scared of the cat too?" Sirius asked as Mustard Seed peered at Harry. Lily shook her head. "I don't think so, Harry's never cried when Mustard Seed is around." And Harry was already reaching out for the small kitten, laughing happily. Mustard Seed came closer to Harry until they were face to face, and Harry stretched his arms to give the kitten what Lily presumed to be a hug.

"Hmph!" said Sirius. "So Harry likes the cat, but not me? Why?"

"Oh, just give him some time," James said with a chuckle. "He'll warm up to you eventually; you're so big, Harry's probably intimidated by you."

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked.

"Yes Padfoot, I'm sure. Just be patient." James replied as he watched Harry and Mustard Seed playing on the couch.

Rejections by girls, Sirius could handle. Not that it happened very often, of course. Rejection from Harry however, he could not. It wasn't Harry's fault that he wasn't a dog person though, was it?

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**A/N: **I have no idea where I got the name Mustard Seed from, think I looked it up on a site for cat names XD

As always, thanks to **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me!


	7. Vase

**Disclaimer:** The usual

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**Vase**

"Hey Lils, have you seen the massive package we received today?" James asked as he walked into the living room holding a huge box.

"No, what is it?" Lily replied.

"I dunno I haven't looked at the tag…" James' brow furrowed as he read the tag that came with the present.

"What does it say? Who is it from?" Lily asked.

"Uhh….it says, _Congratulations, I'm sure my nephew will be a freak, just like you_. Oops, maybe I shouldn't have read that out…" James said apologetically.

Lily sighed. "Petunia? That's actually not very insulting, coming from her. Believe me James, I've heard far worse."

James looked shocked. "You have? That's not very nice!"

"It doesn't matter, James. Why don't we see what my lovely sister sent us?" Lily said.

"Are you sure you want to open it?" James asked apprehensively. "What if it turned out to be Bubotuber pus in a box?"

Lily laughed. "James, you're forgetting something. Petunia is a muggle. I don't think she _has_ access to Bubotuber pus."

James joined in Lily's laughter. "Okay, so I forgot. Let's open the present then! Look Harry, your aunt Petunia sent us something!"

Harry just laughed at his dad and held his arms up to be carried. "Okay, okay, let's play the aeroplane game!" James said while holding Harry above his head. Lily smiled at the two as she unwrapped the present to find a huge vase.

A huge _ugly_ vase.

Lily wasn't sure she had seen anything so hideous. James took one glance at it and said, "Merlin's beard! What on _earth_ is that! Is she trying to give us a heart attack or something?"

Lily blinked, not quite sure how to describe the vase. It was set in autumn colours, mainly yellow, with flowers on the side. Except the flowers looked nothing like flowers, and from far away, Lily felt like she was looking at cells through a microscope. The greens, oranges and reds that splattered the whole vase made it look even creepier; Lily was sure she was going to have nightmares from the thing.

"What are we going to do with it?" James asked.

"Use it, I guess?" Lily said. She didn't really want to, but after all, her sister had sent it to congratulate the birth of Harry…

"Do we have to? I mean, it's a little… ghastly, don't you think?" James asked timidly; he didn't want to offend Lily, it _was_ a present from Petunia after all.

Lily laughed. "Ghastly is about right, I reckon. We can always just put it in the corner or something, just so it looks like we're using it, yeh?"

James was about to reply when Harry let out a huge cry. Apparently, he had just seen the vase, and, terrified, had broken out in tears.

"Oh Harry, it's okay, look, this vase is going in the corner, you don't even have to look at it!" Lily said soothingly as she placed the vase in the corner, flowers facing the wall. Now no one had to look at the 'cells'.

James chuckled. Looked like even little Harry disapproved of his aunt's present.

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**A/N**: And we all know what happened to the vase! But that's another story ~ Thanks to **tasha27** for beta-ing this and for everyone who reviewed!!


	8. Dress Ups

**Disclaimer: **The usual

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**Dress Ups**

Although his first encounter with Harry in his animagus form had not been a successful one, Sirius was sure he could make Harry like him as the big black dog. After all, Sirius was Harry's favourite uncle, and nothing was going to change that. So, on a cool October afternoon, Sirius and Lupin went about to visit the Potters in Godric's Hollow; it was the first time that Lupin had seen Harry since the hospital, and he was rather excited.

--

"Hey Harry! Someone's come to visit you!" James said to his son excitedly as he led his two best friends into the house.

"Remus! It's been ages!" Lily exclaimed, giving her friend a hug. "How've you been?"

Remus shrugged. "Same old, same old. Still can't find a job." Spotting Harry in Lily's arms, Remus looked surprised as he said, "Is this Harry? Wow, he's grown so much already!"

"Yes, this is Harry." Said Lily proudly as she held out her son for Lupin to see. "Harry, say hello to your uncle Remus."

"Hey there little fella," Lupin said as he gave Harry a gentle poke on the nose; Harry laughed in delight and Sirius scowled in the background. "Oh, I have a little present for Harry," he said to Lily, producing a package from inside his robe.

"Aww, thanks Remus! Look Harry, Uncle Remus got you a present," said Lily as she passed the present to James, indicating that he should unwrap it. James tore the paper open to find a mini werewolf soft toy, complete with growling noises when you pressed its stomach, and grinned at Remus.

Remus smiled. "I thought it would be appropriate. And plus, Harry can never have enough toys, can he?"

Harry held his arms out, wanting to grab the toy. When he pressed the stomach and the toy growled, Harry proceeded to make growling noises too, except they didn't sound quite the same.

"Oh Harry, trying to growl like the toy, aren't you? What a clever boy!" Lily said delightedly.

"I bought a present for Harry too," said Sirius in a loud voice. Why could Moony get Harry to laugh and growl, while he only made Harry cry?

"Sirius, you shouldn't have!" Lily protested. "You're here almost every week anyway."

Sirius shrugged. "It's okay; who else would I spend this money on? Prongsie, here?" He said with a chuckle.

James shot Sirius a look, and took the bulky package from Sirius to show Harry. He unwrapped it to find…

_A dog costume for a baby?_

James stared at it, not sure he had seen the correct label. "Uhh Padfoot, why did you buy a costume? I know Halloween's coming up, but it's not like we're going trick-or-treating, you know."

"Oh I know," Sirius replied. "Since Harry was a little scared of my animagus form, I figured that if we put him in the little dog costume and then I transformed, he wouldn't get so scared, because we'd look the same." Said Sirius proudly.

James looked a little skeptical. "Somehow, I don't think that will work…"

"Don't be such a spoilsport Prongsie," Sirius said. "Now Harry, what do you say we put you into this little doggie costume?"

Lily held her hand out for the costume, and gingerly, placed Harry into the furry black attire. Zipping it up at the back, Lily couldn't help but chuckle. Harry did look pretty cute in his little doggie costume, complete with the dog head on top of his own, the black fur blending in nicely with his own black hair.

"See? He looks like a mini version of me!" said Sirius excitedly. "Now he won't be so scared of me!"

James still wasn't so sure, and shared a look with Remus of I-don't-think-this-is-going-to-work. He watched as Lily happily took several photos of Harry, and Sirius urged her to take him to the mirror so he could see himself.

"Look Harry, you've become a little doggie!" said Sirius, watching as Harry peered curiously at the little furry black thing staring back at him. "Now it's my turn!" Sirius announced to no one in particular. With a flash, he was once again transformed into the black shaggy dog, and peered at Harry to see what his reaction was.

Harry looked at his reflection, then at the dog sitting next to him. He turned around in Lily's arms to see the black dog, and stretched one arm out to poke him. Upon contact with his fur, Harry pulled his arm back in fright, and began to cry, hugging onto his mother and now trying to pull his own costume off.

Lily looked slightly alarmed and rocked Harry back and forth, at the same time unzipping him from the costume. "Shh, it's okay Harry, mummy's going to take it off okay?" She said soothingly to the crying baby.

James laughed at Sirius, who was looking slightly annoyed. "Just admit it, Padfoot. Harry's not much of a dog person, and no matter what you do, he's not going to like them, okay?"

Sirius only grunted in reply. He was going to make Harry a dog person, no matter what it took.

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**A/N: **Thanks to **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me ^^


	9. Tooth

**Disclaimer**: The usual

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**Tooth**

After the last disastrous attempt at pleasing Harry with the dog suit, Sirius had gone on and transfigured the suit into various types of animals, such as a werewolf, a stag, and a tiger, just to name a few. James personally thought Sirius wasn't very creative, as it was quite obvious that Harry just didn't like been dressed up in an animal suit. He didn't have the heart to tell him he should find another way of trying to make Harry happy, not when Padfoot looked so cheerful everytime he came to visit Harry.

"Harry! It's food time!" James announced to his son as he walked into the room holding a bottle of milk. Harry was probably almost ready to eat solid foods, but they were taking it slowly, Harry was so precious! Baby Harry gurgled happily upon seeing his father, and took the bottle from James' hands eagerly. He could slurp the bottle of milk by himself now, and drank steadily, his emerald eyes bright.

"Whoa there Harry, slow down," James said with a chuckle. "How come you're so hungry all of a sudden?" Harry looked at his father questioningly, and went back to slurping away at his milk.

"Harry, what's that you've got in your mouth?" James asked his son as he took the bottle away. As he was wiping Harry's mouth, he noticed there was something white on the lower gum. Could it be milk? But no, milk wasn't a solid, how on earth would it have got stuck to his gum? Rather alarmed, James called out to Lily frantically.

"Lils! Come quick! There's something in Harry's mouth!"

"What is it?" Lily yelled back from the kitchen. "I'm preparing dinner."

"Just come! Quick!" James yelled back nervously. Was something wrong with Harry?

"Okay, I'm coming," Lily said. Silly James, knowing him, he was probably overreacting as usual.

"LILY!!"

"I'm here, I'm here, what is it?" Lily asked as she walked into the room.

"Look, there's something white on Harry's gum," James said as he picked Harry up to show Lily.

Lily peered closely at Harry, wondering what on earth James was getting so worked up about.

"Well?" James asked. "Don't you see it? Right there!" He said, pointing at Harry's gum.

Lily looked at James, her expression unreadable. Suddenly, she burst into laughter, while James looked absolutely bewildered. What was so funny, there was something stuck on Harry's gum!

"Lils?" he asked hesitantly.

"Oh James, it's his first tooth, that's all. The white thing on his gum is his tooth!" Lily said between bursts of laughter.

"T-tooth?" James asked, a little unsure.

"Yes James, just a tooth," Lily said. "Soon, all his teeth are going to start growing, so no need to panic okay?"

James at least had the decency to look embarrassed as Lily left the room to prepare dinner. "Okay."

At least no one else was around to witness his embarrasing moment.

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**A/N:** Thanks to **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me!


	10. Bad Hearing

**Disclaimer:** The Usual

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**Bad Hearing**

After the initial excitement of seeing Harry's first tooth had died down a little, James and Lily were now beginning to anticipate when Harry would say his first word. Sirius and Remus were having a bet to see who could guess Harry's first word, with Sirius betting on something along the lines of Sirius or Padfoot, and Remus betting that it would be something much more obvious such as mummy or daddy. Harry's first words were spoken on a cool winter's afternoon, and it so happened that both Sirius and Remus were there to witness it. It was surprising what excitement could do to your hearing, really.

--

"Hey Harry, look who's here to visit you," James said as Sirius and Remus came into the room, bringing yet more toys for Harry. "Say hello," James said as he picked up harry and waved his little arm at the two. Harry looked delighted at the toys in Remus' hands, and excitedly stretched his arms forward in a wiggling manner, wanting to grab it.

"Look Prongs, he's waving back at us!" Sirius said excitedly. "Harry's waving at us!" James just laughed while Remus said, "Padfoot, you're not even looking at Harry properly. Look at his eyes; they're looking at the toys in my hands. He's probably trying to reach for the toy, not waving at us."

Sirius pouted. "How do you know, you're not Harry," he said. At the same time, Harry lunged forward in James' arms and managed to grab the toy off Remus, who looked extremely startled. "See, I told you so," Remus said smugly as he Harry grabbed at his toy happily. "Padfoot, if you ever become a father, I'm going to be very worried, you'd always been misinterpreting your children's movements." James roared with laughter as Sirius mock punched Remus; really, it wasn't Sirius' fault he wasn't good at interpreting things, was it?

"Hey, no fighting in my house," Lily said good-naturedly as she came into the room. "Harry, what have you got there?" she asked as she took Harry from James' arms. As much as she knew the Marauders loved Harry, she personally thought it was a little dangerous when the three of them were together; who knew what they would do, and she didn't want Harry getting hurt.

Harry laughed happily in his mother's arms, whilst James cheered on his two friends as they rolled around in the living room. Unlike Sirius and Remus however, Peter hardly ever stopped by to visit anymore, and even if he did, it was always very brief, and he always seemed to be scared of looking directly at Lily and James, for some odd reason. Although James was slightly upset he couldn't see all his best friends, as long as they were safe, he could deal with anything else.

"M… mummy," Harry said. The four adults looked at each other in amazement. "Did you hear that?" James said excitedly. "Harry said his first word!"

"He said Moony, didn't he?" said Remus happily. Lily looked shocked, but said to Remus with a laugh, "No, he said mummy. I think you must've heard him wrong because you were wrestling on the ground with Sirius." Remus looked slightly disappointed, and turned to face Harry. "Say it again, Harry," he said encouragingly.

Harry blinked at Remus, and looked at his dad and said slowly, "P…pwongs." Sirius, who only heard Harry say the first letter, was now dancing around the room in joy, thinking that Harry had said Padfoot. "Did you hear that? HA! He said Padfoot, he said Padfoot," Sirius chanted as he did a little victory dance.

James laughed at his best friend and said to him, "Padfoot, I think you and Moony need to get your ears checked. He said Prongs, not Padfoot." Sirius stopped mid way through his chant, and looked disbelievingly at James. "No he didn't, he said Padfoot. You're just jealous because he said my name first," Sirius said, pretending to sigh dramatically. "Clearly, Harry likes me better than you."

"Sirius, Harry said Prongs, not Padfoot," Lily yelled as she tried to grab James' arms to prevent him from punching Sirius. "Boys! No fighting, you're going to scare Harry." James and Sirius stopped, but Sirius still didn't believe that Harry said Prongs. "Padfoot is easier to pronounce," was his argument, but by now, everyone else had their full attention on Harry, wanting him to say something else.

Sirius looked slightly annoyed, and went to the kitchen in search of some food. "Oh Padfoot, don't forget to pay up," Remus called after him. Sirius slammed the fridge door shut in annoyance. Maybe he _really_ needed to get his ears checked.

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**A/N: **Sorry for the slow update, watching the Aussie Open... hope you enjoyed this chapter though!! And a special thank you to **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me!


	11. Crawl

**Disclaimer: **The usual

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**Crawl**

By the age of sixth months, Harry could now crawl about in his own way, which seemed to consist of a lot of shuffling and rolling around. He was also able to now sit up by himself, much to the delight of his parents. The first time that Harry had sat up by himself, James was so excited that he even teared up a little. But that was something between Lily, Harry and himself, and no one else was going to know about it.

--

"Come on Harry; let's go play in the living room, shall we?" James asked as Lily finished cleaning up bits of baby food that had gotten all over Harry's face and hair. He was such a messy eater, but then again, James was pretty bad himself…

James placed Harry on the floor, and went to greet Sirius, who had come for another visit. He still hadn't given up on the costumes, and had bought yet another whole variety of animal ones for Harry to try on. "Hey Padfoot, don't tell me you've got more costumes in that bag?" James asked hesitantly, pointing at the bag Sirius was holding.

"I still don't believe Harry isn't a dog person, you know." Sirius said to James as a way of greeting. "So instead of getting lots of animal costumes, I just transfigured them into different types of dog costumes; I'm sure we'll find a type that Harry will like, won't we?" James looked rather skeptical at the idea; he was sure Harry just liked cats more than dogs, but he really couldn't bring himself to tell his best friend so.

"PRONGS! What's Harry doing on the floor like that?" Sirius asked in alarm as Harry rolled around on the ground, still trying to get the hang of moving around by himself. Sirius hadn't been over for awhile, and so he had no idea what Harry was doing, and why James wasn't doing anything to stop Harry from rolling around. "PRONGS! Do something!!" Sirius said frantically.

James only laughed while Harry now turned, doing a somersault and gurgling happily. Sirius gave a little shriek of fright at seeing Harry do a somersault, wondering if he should go pick him up. And why was James just sitting there and laughing? What was wrong with his best friend? "Padfoot, relax, Harry's just going through the rolling and crawling stage, there's nothing wrong with him."

"Rolling and crawling stage?" Sirius asked as he sank into a chair in relief. "Well why didn't you tell me before, I thought there was something wrong." James only laughed again at Sirius' expression, and the two of them watched as Harry now crawled around on the floor, shuffling around and occasionally mumbling some words. Suddenly, Harry stopped crawling and sat up, and looked at his father and godfather.

"Merlin's Beard, will you look at that." Sirius said in amazement. "Prongs! Look, look, look, Harry's sitting up by himself! What a good boy you are Harry," Sirius said as he bent down to eye level with baby Harry. "Oh, he's been able to do that for a few days now," James said, trying to sound very manly and nonchalant, as a few days ago when he had first seen Harry sitting up by himself, he was so shocked that he thought he was seeing things, and then found himself tearing in happiness. Harry was growing up so fast! Looked like whenever Harry was concerned, James wasn't as manly as he seemed to be.

"Can I poke him?" Sirius asked. "I mean, he's not going to fall over if I do, is he?" James laughed as Sirius' question bought him back to reality, and said, "No Padfoot, Harry's not _that_ delicate, you can poke him and tickle him all you want and he'd still be able to sit up."

"Okay! Come on Harry, let's see what happens if I do _this_," Sirius said as he tickled Harry on his sides. Harry laughed delightedly but at the same time said, "No Pafoo, no!" Sirius laughed, but then stopped and looked at Harry sternly. "It's Padfoot, Harry. Not Pafoo, _Padfoot_. Repeat after me. Pad. Foot."

"Pa. Foo." Harry repeated.

"Pad. Foot." Sirius said slowly, stressing the two syllables.

"Padfoo" Harry said as best as he could.

"Padfoot" Sirius said slowly again.

"Lily," Lily said as she came into the room, hearing Harry's squeals of delight.

"Lily," Harry repeated after his mother, who picked him off the floor, smiling in delight.

"Hey, that's not fair; Lily is easier to pronounce than Padfoot!" Sirius said in protest. "And he obviously likes Lily best out of us three," he added with a pout. James, who had been laughing at Sirius' attempts until this point, suddenly said, "What do you mean, he likes Lily the best? Harry loves _me_ just as much, but maybe you a little less," he said with a grin at Sirius.

"A little less? As if, remember when you couldn't get him to stop crying and had to give him to Lily?" Sirius shot back with a grin of his own.

"That was one time, Padfoot. I'm Harry's _dad_; of course he likes me better than his godfather." James argued.

Lily only laughed to herself as James and Sirius continued their argument over who Harry loved the best, taking Harry to his bedroom as his eyelids began to droop. "Let's leave your daddy and Sirius to their bickering, shall we?" Lily asked Harry as she placed him in his cot. Harry mumbled something softly, but Lily didn't catch it. "What did you say, Harry?" Lily asked as she leaned in.

"Padfoot."

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**A/N:** So sorry for this major slow update!! I had a bit of writer's block with this for awhile, then uni started and the work just kept piling up and up and up… anyways hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and thank you so much to **tasha27 **for beta-ing this for me!!


	12. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

Hey everyone! Long time no see! I'm so sorry, I really don't have a good excuse for the lack of updates except that I was running out of ideas for events that happened before the particular Halloween. I've been reading a lot of FF lately, and I've decided to turn this into an AU fic, based on what Harry's life would've been like had Lily and James not been murdered by Voldemort. It'll still follow the main storyline seen in the HP books, and Voldemort will still probably be part of it, but not as evil as he is in canon. Let me know what you think of this and feel free to suggest any particular events you'd like to read! I'm sorry though, I probably won't be able to update soon because I want to plan everything out properly without plotholes and such, so it might take awhile! Just wanted you to know I haven't abandoned the fandom, and thanks so much for everyone's support! :)

-Melo


	13. For Harry or James

**Disclaimer**: The usual

* * *

**For Harry or James**

"Harry, be careful please," Lily said to her son nervously as he pulled himself up using the sofa. At the age of eight months, Harry could now stand up with the help of pulling on furniture, but Lily was always very nervous that Harry was going to fall down if he pulled a cloth or something, so went with him everywhere. James joked that Lily was like Harry's bodyguard or something, the way she was following him around. He tried to coax her into letting Harry do whatever he wanted to; besides, falling was part of learning. Lily, though surprised at James' bout of wisdom, ignored his words and still insisted on being Harry's bodyguard.

"Hey Lily, look what I found for Harry!" James said excitedly as he came home one day carrying a huge package. "Harry!" James exclaimed as he walked into the living room and picked up his son. "Daddy got you a present, wanna see?"

"What is it?" Lily asked as she looked at the big box James had placed in front of the fireplace.

"Well I'm not sure exactly what it is," James said sheepishly, "But it looked like so much fun, so I had to get it for Harry! The label on the box said it was a Puddlemere United Quidditch Adventure Gym…" he trailed off as Lily gave him a glare, with a glint in her eye.

"Trust, James, anything with the words Puddlemere United or Quidditch is bound to attract your attention," Lily said with a laugh. "Do you even know what an adventure gym is?"

"Well, it's one of those muggle toys you have, isn't it? Looks a bit like a tent without the canvas bit!" James said as he handed Harry to Lily and proceeded to open Harry's new toy. The 'gym' was a mat big enough for Harry to lie on, with two poles as structures on which the members of the Puddlemere United team were suspended on, zooming about slowly in circles. Also connected to the gym was a quaffle, two bludgers and bats, as well as a mini golden snitch, all made of a plushy toy like material so Harry wouldn't actually get hurt playing.

"Isn't it wonderful?" James beamed as he set up the gym. "Harry's going to love it, I'm certain!"

"Oh James, it looks like you're in love with it too," Lily said as she placed Harry on the mat. "Knowing you, you might use an engorgement charm on the toy and play with it yourself."

"Hey, that's a great idea Lils! Then Harry and I can have fun together!" James said enthusiastically as he gave Harry one of the soft bats. "Look Harry, this is your new toy!"

Harry looked up at James questioningly, wondering what on earth were the small people zooming around above him. He reached out to grab one, but they were all too quick for him. Annoyed, Harry used the bat James placed in his hand and whacked the figure flying above his head, laughing happily when it made contact and swayed from side to side. James and Lily watched in delight as Harry continued to whack at the players, gurgling whenever the bat sent another player whizzing away.

"Looks like Harry likes his new present then," Lily said with a yawn as she stood up. "And he'd probably make a fair beater too, don't you think? Anyways, I'm so tired, I'm going to go to bed; don't let Harry stay too late, will you?"

"Of course, I'll get him tucked in, you go on first," James replied as he gave Lily a kiss goodnight.

The first thing Lily noticed when she woke up the next day was that James wasn't beside her, which was strange because James always slept in on the weekends. Confused, she walked past the living room to check on Harry in his room, and did a double take when she saw James sleeping soundly next to Harry on the mat. Harry was awake, and gave Lily a happy smile when he saw her, raising his arms so Lily could pick him up. Gently, without waking James, Lily took Harry into her arms, and noticed with a smile that James, though he had one arm around Harry, had the other hand firmly clinging onto a soft bat.

"Good morning Harry," Lily said to her son softly as she took him to the kitchen. "Looks like daddy likes your present just as much as you do, doesn't he?"

* * *

**A/N:** So here it is, the next chapter! Wow, I haven't posted up in so long, but thank you to everyone who's still been reading/ favourite-ing/ alerting this story these few months! Let me know what you think of this, and feel free to put any suggestions or events you'd like to see in the review as well! Special thank you as usual to **tasha27 **for beta-ing this! :)


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